"Supporting Expansion of Demand-Supply Company Collaboration Models for Globalization of SoBuJang"

To promote the global expansion of materials, parts, and equipment (SoBuJang) companies, the government has decided to expand support for global cooperation models between demand and supply companies.

On the 1st, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced at the 'SoBuJang Demand-Supply Companies Meeting' that it plans to advance the domestic demand-supply company cooperation model into a multi-demand-multi-supply company model, while supporting cooperation with overseas demand companies in countries such as the United States and Germany, as well as research and demonstration cooperation between domestic SoBuJang specialized complexes and overseas clusters.

In particular, as the domestic SoBuJang ecosystem expands to Japan and to jointly respond to the global supply chain restructuring, the government plans to promote inter-company cooperation focusing on joint research and development (R&D) and third-country joint market entry on key challenges shared by both countries, such as advanced industries and carbon neutrality.

The SoBuJang demand-supply company cooperation model is a representative system that contributes to the expansion of the SoBuJang ecosystem by closely supporting joint R&D and commercialization between demand and supply companies. Since 2019, a total of 64 cases have been selected and supported.

At the meeting, excellent performance cases of the cooperation model were also shared, including Yulchon Chemical’s development of secondary battery pouch technology and supply contract signing, and Mikoceramics’ localization of semiconductor process equipment. Additionally, the SoBuJang industry requested continuous expansion of the SoBuJang budget and stabilization of supply chains for items with high import dependence to secure competitiveness in response to the global supply chain restructuring.

Joo Young-jun, Director General of Industrial Policy, stated, “The global supply chain restructuring is both a crisis and a new opportunity for our SoBuJang companies,” adding, “The government will actively utilize the reshuffling of the global supply chain as an opportunity to expand the global advancement of our SoBuJang industry through bold technology development and meticulous SoBuJang export support.”